Animal Crackers in my Fruit
by for sale
Summary: Some animal-shaped cookies cause a dispute. Kyoru; little fluffy, little angsty.


**Summary**: It's Tohru's birthday and iced animal cookies cause a dispute. Yeah, Western food. Like I care.

**Explanation**: Well, I don't know about you, but where I come from we have these cookies: iced animals... I was chowing through a packet one day a little while ago and was hit in the head with this furuba idea.

**Author's note**: I had trouble incorporating the other Sohmas present without making it seem like one big Sohma jumble, so please, let me know how you think I did. Also, is my Tohru too annoying? Happy ficcing.

* * *

Despite the fact that it was her birthday celebration, Tohru was in the kitchen rearranging the snacks. She hummed happily, listening to the Sohmas out in the living room. It was just so nice of them - they didn't have to do anything for her, she would have been grateful for a simple 'happy birthday.' And yet Shigure and Kyo and Yuki had arranged this, and Kagura and Haru and even Aya and Hatori had all come to celebrate.

Tohru smiled absently as she reached up into a cupboard to find a bowl for the candy. Something tugged on the side pocket of her blue skirt.

"Oniichan?"

Tohru blinked. "Oh!" She smiled brightly and turned around to hug the small girl, the bowl she had been searching for still in hand. "Good afternoon, Kisa!"

Hiro was standing a few feet behind the tiny Sohma girl, his face a determined scowl. "Happy birthday," he said grudgingly.

"Oh, thank you, Hiro!"

Hiro rolled his eyes and pointed at Kisa.

Tohru looked down again. "Oh! For me?"

Kisa, with a bashful smile, was holding up a present neatly wrapped in blue paper with a red bow. "Happy birthday, Oniichan."

"'Oh!'" Hiro muttered in the background, his voice a whingy falsetto.

Tohru ignored him. "Really, Kisa, you shouldn't have! It's enough that you came to visit me!"

Still, Kisa looked on expectantly. Tohru smiled again, and started to carefully lift off the bow.

"Honestly!"

The gift was snatched out of her hands.

"Don't you even know how to open a present?" Hiro ripped off the paper in one quick motion and thrust its contents back at her. He then turned and stomped out of the room as Tohru watched, momentarily at a loss for words.

Kisa tugged on Tohru's skirt again. Her tiny lips were trembling. "Hiro is just embarrassed." Her plaintive voice was scarcely audible.

Tohru blinked again and then looked at the now-revealed present in her hands. She was holding a small, silver photo frame that proudly displayed a picture of herself beaming widely, a shy Kisa and Hiro, with a slight scowl.

She breathed out in a rush. "Kisa, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!"

"Oh man, are you getting all mushy again?" Kyo slumped in the doorway. "Birthdays aren't supposed to make you cry, you know."

"I'm sorry, Kyo! I'll try to be more stoic!"

Kyo rolled his eyes, much in the fashion Hiro had done. "Let me help you carry out some of these dishes, or you're never going to get out of this kitchen."

"You don't need to - "

"You're supposed to be out there, enjoying your party. We didn't throw it so you could get us all food, you know." Kyo crossed the kitchen and seized two plates, before walking out of the room.

Tohru shrugged, smiled at Kisa again. "Thank you, Kisa, I love it." She sat the frame on the kitchen bench, exchanging it for plates of sweet food. She could manage three of the large dishes, before Kisa took the fourth and last and hefted it after her. Tohru was about to protest when Kyo reappeared and lifted the dish off the tottering child.

"Ah!" Shigure exclaimed as they entered. "More sustenance! Marvellous! I thought I was going to waste away!" He was already stuffing potato chips into his mouth from one of the plates Kyo had set on the low table where he sat.

"Shigure!" Aya exclaimed. "What an appetite you have!"

Shigure snorted. "Oh yes. There are so many things a grown man needs to be healthy!"

The two of them fell about laughing. Tohru smiled, her face carefully blank, as Kyo scowled at the two older men.

"God, can you two just shut up for a while?"

"Kyo!" Aya shouted. "Such rudeness in front of the children!"

"What're these, anyway?" Hiro interrupted.

Shigure sighed dramatically. "It's too late." He leaned in to his childhood friend in a conspiratory fashion. "Kyo's influence has already corrupted the sweet boy!"

"Hold me, 'Gure - I feel faint from horror!"

"I feel faint from disgust." Hatsuharu shook his head at the older Sohmas' antics, and took a small roll off the table.

"...Kyo isn't a bad influence on anybody!"

Tohru smiled quickly. "Oh, Kagura, won't you have a cookie?" She gestured to the plate Hiro was inspecting suspiciously.

"...I _said_," Hiro repeated petulantly, "What _are _these?"

Tohru's smile faltered as she moved a bit closer to him and looked at the plate. "They're animal cookies."

Hatori, who had been sitting quietly across the room, suddenly started to choke on his glass of water.

_("Coca cola? It's bad for your teeth. I'll have water." _

_"Oh, 'Tori, you're such a party animal!" _

_"And you've had quite enough caffeine, Ayame." _

_"...Two waters please, Tohru!")_

Her smile faltered a little more. "I... Thought they were cute," she said uncertainly.

There was silence for a long moment.

Then Kisa, at Tohru's feet, held up one of the biscuits. It, like the rest of the biscuits on the plate, was a plain cookie cut into an animal shape, coloured icing on one side. This particular cookie had yellow icing. Kisa smiled. "Look, Hiro, a sheep!"

Hiro's face flushed bright red.

Shigure burst out laughing and lunged for the plate. "Is there a dog?"

Ayame snatched it off him. "No, where's the snake?"

"Hey, I want a dog!"

"Well, beg." Ayame poked out his tongue, holding the plate away from the whinging Shigure.

Hatori sighed heavily in the background and a few moments later, Ayame pouted. "There's no snake!"

"Oh!" Tohru cried. "I almost forgot!" She rushed into the kitchen, berating herself for nearly neglecting Yuki's older brother, and appeared again a few moments later with candy bowl she had been searching for earlier - and had left on the bench beside her new photo frame - and a brightly coloured bag. She ripped the packet and upended the contents, then, a little breathlessly, held them out to Aya. "Rattlesnakes!"

Ayame threw his head back with laughter as he accepted the colourful gummy candy.

Kagura, meanwhile, had somehow got her hands on the plate of animal biscuits, and had taken all of the small pigs. She smiled and graciously dumped two of them onto Kyo's lap, before starting to nibble on another with bright green icing. Kyo stared at the cookies in front of him apprehensively.

"Oh please, Kyo... EAT THEM!"

Hatsuharu distracted her by claiming the plate, glowering. Kagura sighed and glared back at him. Haru blinked, ran a hand through his hair, and then began scooping up the cows. "...Are there any mice?"

"...Oniichan?" Kisa whispered from where she remained by Tohru.

"Yes, Kisa?" Tohru bent down.

"...Is there a tiger?"

Tohru lifted the bowl off the table and peered inside. "No... But!" she added, as Kisa's small face fell, "There _is_ a lion, and a lion is also a really big cat like a tiger... Look, if we take this yellow one... And then..."

Tohru reached for the licorice strips Hatori had given her for her birthday - and which she had promptly put on the table for all to enjoy.

"If we tear this like that..." She held out a yellow lion with black licorice stripes.

Kisa smiled brightly and carefully lifted the animal off Tohru's hand, carrying it over to show Hiro. He wasn't eating his biscuits, but refused to let Shigure (who had, in record-breaking consumption, eaten all of the dogs) have one.

Tohru looked around at the Sohmas, squabbling and laughing over such a simple thing as a few cookies, and felt happy to be able to share her birthday with such an incredible group of people.

Beside her, Kyo cleared his throat. "...No cats either, then, huh?" he asked softly.

Tohru's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Kyo! I got snakes for Aya but I didn't know what to find for you and Yuki!"

Kyo's brown eyes slid away, noticing that Kagura was still continuing to glare at Haru. "Don't worry about it."

"No, I feel terrible, I - "

Hiro piped up from where he was sitting not far away. "You could be this one, Kyo." He held up an orange hippopotamus biscuit.

Kyo scowled. "What is that, you brat?"

"Well," Hiro continued, "It's big and ugly and I bet hippos smell funny and they have big teeth so they scare people just like - "

"Hiro!" Hatori snapped, suddenly looming in front of them. "That's quite enough for today!"

Hiro blinked, then a moment later everyone turned their heads towards the stairs as Kyo suddenly slammed a door out of sight.

"Kyo!" Kagura shouted. She stood. "Kyo, wait!" She looked like she wanted to chase after the cat, but was undecided as to whether she ought to murder Hiro before or after doing so.

Shigure cleared his throat, across the room. "Hiro, go into the kitchen please."

"But - "

"Go into the kitchen, now!" Shigure's eyes flashed a dark shade of black as he growled.

Hiro was most surprised to find himself shoved towards the kitchen door by the tiny

hands of Kisa. He looked up at her to find her eyes filled with tears. He sighed, bowed his head and walked out.

"Oniichan, he, he - "

Tohru blinked suddenly from where she had been frozen in shock. "Oh Kisa, it's not your fault."

"Hiro just - "

"Don't worry about it, Kisa, really." Tohru gave a bright smile that the older zodiac members could see as fake, but Kisa seemed reassured. Hatori, giving Tohru a glance that seemed like an apology tinged with disgust, pursued Hiro into the kitchen.

"That little brat," Haru growled, "How dare he spoil Tohru's birthday like this..."

"Someone ought to go after Kyo." Shigure glanced between Kagura and Tohru. Kagura stared at the birthday girl, unsure.

"Don't you do it, Kagura, he'll just get angry at you whinging at him, and he probably doesn't need beating up right now."

Kagura whirled, "You dumb cow, you're so rude, you don't know how my Kyo feels about anything!"

Tohru headed for the stairs. She paused to let Kisa hand her something and whisper in her ear, and then went up as the sounds of the party resumed downstairs - "Oh, 'Gure, sometimes you can be so forceful!"

* * *

Kyo watched as an arm pulled its way onto the roof, quickly followed by another hand and the sound of some struggling. He sighed, went over, and grabbed Tohru, pulling her up.

"What d'you want?" His voice was more rough than his hands.

"Kyo, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - "

"It's that damn Hiro that's bugging me, not you. Just go back inside." He stomped back up across the tiles of the roof and sat back down near the apex. His frown deepened when Tohru cautiously followed him and sat down close by.

"Um, Kyo..."

He glanced sideways and saw Tohru reach into the pocket on her skirt.

"Kisa and I both agree. You ought to get the lion."

She held up one of the cookies, with a comical lion face on one side and bright orange icing on the other.

"...Nice try."

"Really. Kisa said she's much too shy to be a lion. You know what they say... The lion is the king, afterall."

Kyo snorted. Could she get any more lame? "Yuki will be back with your cake soon, you ought to go back down."

Tohru smiled suddenly. "...Is that where he disappeared to?"

"Aww, damnit." Kyo hit the tiles next to him, but failed to put any real anger into the act. He seemed tired. "I wasn't supposed to tell you. He was meant to pick it up from the bakery yesterday, but his stupid school council meeting about the spring festival ran long and he forgot."

A moment passed by.

"...Damn rat," Kyo amended, before flopping backward to gaze up at the cloudless sky.

"Thank you for the party, Kyo." Tohru looked down at the animal still in her hand. "You know, I bought these a while ago, I've been saving them for... Something."

"Great." Sarcasm, one of god's finer gifts to mankind.

"...I guess it was stupid."

Kyo sighed. "Do you always have to do that?"

"I'm sorry."

Another moment passed.

"Um, Kyo... Do what?"

"It was a nice thought, okay? Just leave it at that."

"But I can't!" Tohru reached out and hesitantly touched Kyo's sleeve. "...It sure is bright up here in the sunshine... Kyo, Hiro is..."

"An asshole?"

"He's twelve!"

"So? He's still too damn rude."

"But he has some good qualities."

"You think that about everyone." Kyo muttered and shaded his eyes from the sun with his hand.

"Yes - it's true," Tohru said quietly. "Kyo, I'm sorry Hiro hurt your feelings but he's stubborn and sometimes he says the wrong things... Like some other people I could name."

Kyo blinked. Was Tohru implying what he thought she was? Sweet, lovely Tohru? He looked at her, but she was gazing down at the cookie in her hand.

"Anyway, you're always yelling at him and he just hasn't seen some of your good qualities. Like you're brave, and strong, and you always try to be the best you can be - you always want to be better... Although," she giggled slightly, "Sometimes you just want to be better than Yuki. But Kyo..." Tohru blushed, still looking at the animal on her palm. Its orange icing was beginning to melt against her skin. "You have so many noble, _good_ qualities, which is why you are much more like a lion than a regular old cat."

Kyo sat up and turned to face Tohru. He reached out for her wrist, looked down at the animal in her hand and then slowly raised both to his mouth. In one quick motion, Kyo tipped her hand, reaching out and snatching the iced animal with his mouth. His lips grazed her hand and Tohru's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

"Meow."

"I - "

Tohru hesitated as Kyo, still holding her wrist, took her hand and placed it on his neck, just above the curve of his shoulder. His skin felt warm.

Kyo looked up into her face, his own brown-red eyes showing a stubborn resolution.

"Happy birthday, Tohru."

Kyo leaned forward, still holding her hand to his neck, and slowly placed a kiss on Tohru's cheek. He exhaled softly near her ear.

Abruptly, he stood. "Come on; I told you, Yuki will be back with your cake any moment. We've gotta get this Sohma party finished before Hana and Uo get here."

Tohru's green eyes were tinted with the emotions that crossed her face briefly. She smiled softly and followed Kyo down off the roof.

* * *

The Sohmas gathered around, except Hatori who declared he'd rather be behind the camera. Yuki and Kyo stood on either side of Tohru as she blew out the candles on her the large strawberry shortcake. Everyone smiled for the photograph - even Hiro.


End file.
